A powerful aura spread from Madara Uchiha, quickly forming an oppressive force field that pressed toward Hikaru. The smile on Hikaru's face did not fade as his own aura naturally rose up, confronting Madara's.
It was one thing to use his presence to intimidate others, but he wanted to pull that on him too? Was he looking down on me that much?
The standoff began. At their level of strength, neither would easily yield to the other, especially not Madara Uchiha, whose arrogance knew no bounds. But would Hikaru yield? How naive.
"Don't be so full of yourself. Others may fear you, Madara Uchiha, but I don't. And you still have the nerve to ask me to join you? You traitor of the Uchiha Clan."
With a cold laugh, Hikaru struck directly at Madara's sore spot. To the Uchiha Clan, Madara truly was a traitor. Conversely, Madara believed the entire Uchiha Clan had betrayed him—betrayed Madara Uchiha by refusing to follow him and leave Konoha with him.
"You are the traitors!!!" Madara's pupils abruptly widened. Hikaru's words had pierced some old wounds deep within him, and Madara's voice rose sharply. This was one of the greatest pains in his heart.
As the Uchiha Clan's leader, when he and Hashirama Senju had fallen out, his clansmen had refused to leave Konoha with him. To Madara, they were all traitors. Every last one of them had betrayed him, Madara Uchiha.
"No, no, no!!!" Hikaru shook a finger and said calmly, "You were the one who betrayed them. You wanted to drag the entire Uchiha Clan into the abyss of darkness, yet you still had the nerve to think your clansmen betrayed you."
Madara Uchiha had failed badly. One reason his clansmen had refused to follow him was because they wanted peaceful, stable